Thelnetham Windmill
| Thelnetham Windmill | |
|---|---|
The restored mill
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| Origin | |
| Mill name | Button's Mill |
| Mill location | TM 011 790 |
| Coordinates | 52°22′19″N 0°57′18″E / 52.37194°N 0.95500°ECoordinates: 52°22′19″N 0°57′18″E / 52.37194°N 0.95500°E |
| Operator(s) | Thelnetham Mill Preservation Trust |
| Year built | 1819 |
| Information | |
| Purpose | Corn mill |
| Type | Tower mill |
| Storeys | Four storeys |
| No. of sails | Four sails |
| Type of sails | Double Patent sails |
| Windshaft | Cast iron |
| Winding | Fantail |
| Fantail blades | Eight blades |
| Auxiliary power | Originally a Portable steam engine, then an oil engine, now a Ruston & Hornsby diesel engine |
| No. of pairs of millstones | Two pairs driven by wind, plus one pair driven by engine |
| Size of millstones | 4 feet 4 inches (1.32 m) and 4 feet 7 inches (1.40 m) diameter. Engine driven stones 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m) diameter. |
| Other information | Oldest surviving tower mill in Suffolk. |
Thelnetham Windmill, also known as Button's Mill is a Grade II* listedtower mill constructed of brick. The windmill is located at Thelnetham, Suffolk, England. It was built in the early nineteenth century to grind wheat into flour. Thelnetham windmill worked by wind power until 1924, latterly on two sails, after which it became derelict.
In 1979, a group of enthusiasts purchased Thelnetham windmill for restoration. Numerous volunteers helped to restore the mill to full working order over an eight-year period. The mill is open to the public, and flour ground at the mill can be bought at the site.
The mill is a small four storey tower mill with Patent sails and winded by a fantail. It drives two pairs of millstones, with a third pair driven by an auxiliary engine.
The windmill at Thelnetham was built by millwright George Bloomfield for William Button in 1819. It replaced a post mill which had been moved to Sandy Lane, Diss, Norfolk the previous year. The mill was set to work on Christmas Day 1819. In 1832, the mill was modernised by the fitting of a cast-iron windshaft, Patent sails and a fantail. The new windshaft was fitted on 16 July 1832. It was made by J Aickman, the Kings Lynn millwright, and weighs 1¾ tons (1,780 kg). A new stock was fitted in September 1836. William Button died on 11 February 1837. The mill passed jointly to his widow Rebecca and their son Richard. Richard Button worked the mill until 1860, at which date it was conveyed to his sons Richard and William, who sold it to Richard Peverett from Kenninghall, Norfolk in 1862.
The mill was worked by Stephen Peverett, Richard's son. He inherited the mill on the death of his father in 1875 and leased it to Henry Bryant in 1879. In 1884, the mill was sold by auction, and Henry Bryant purchased the freehold. Bryant rebuilt the floors of the mill. From 1892, a portable steam engine was used as auxiliary power, driving an extra pair of millstones on the ground floor. This was replaced in 1914 by a Hornsby oil engine. Bryant ran the mill until 1920 when he sold it to Alphonso Vincent, a retired millwright from Garboldisham, Norfolk. The Hornsby engine was sold in the early 1920s. The mill was tailwinded c1920, and as a result one pair of sails was removed. Vincent carried out some repairs to the mill and ran it until he retired in 1924. One of the remaining two sails was wrecked in 1926 when the mill was again tailwinded.
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Wikipedia